Posted on 07/28/2005 11:36:02 AM PDT by siunevada
A new study found there are at least 1,200 MegaChurches in the United States – 50 percent more than previously thought by most religion researchers – and the number may be growing.
“Our preliminary research for the major survey effort indicates there could very well be another 200 to 400 megachurches in addition to these,” said Warren Bird, the Director of Leadership Community Intellectual Capital Support at the Leadership Network.
Earlier this year, the Leadership Network – the foremost networking and resource organization for very large churches - joined with the Hartford Institute for Religion Research for one of the most extensive mega-church project ever undertaken. Together they found there were at least 1,200 Protestant churches claiming more than 2,000 weekly worship attendants.
In the past, each organization held a database of around 850 “very large churches” in the U.S. When the two groups compared their records, they found only 600 churches overlapped on both list, leaving hundreds of churches unaccounted for.
“I would never have guessed that either of our groups could have missed so many additional megachurches,” said Scott Thumma, a professor of sociology at Hartford Seminary who studied megachurches since 1988.
Last week, the two groups sent a survey to each of those 1,200 church plus 500 more to “know for sure” how many super-sized churches there really are.
“We hope and pray that each megachurch that receives a survey will fill it out and return it so that we can help correct misperceptions and better network these churches with each other," said Dave Travis researcher at Leadership Network.
The 2005 Megachurches Today questionnaire, which can also be completed online, asks a series of questions regarding the theological identity, political affinity, evangelistic vigor and the worship style of the church.
The two groups hope to repeat the survey every two years in order to “shed new light on the megachurch phenomenon that generates such attention from the media and the religious world alike.” The last such survey was conducted in 1999, but included results from only 153 megachurches.
Preliminary analysis of the project shows that the 1,200 churches account for more than four million weekly attendants and possibly as many as eight to 12 million members, though they make up only three-tenths of one percent of all congregations.
That means "the largest 10 percent of congregations contain about half of all churchgoers,” according to Mark Chavez, author of Congregations in America.
One of the largest megachurches, the Lakewood Church in Houston Texas, claims over 30,000 weekly attendants. The church, led by mega-pastor Joel Olsteen, just recently opened its new sanctuary in the old Compaq Convention Center in Houston. It invested nearly $100 million to renovate the basketball court into a chapel that features cascading seats, special effects lighting, and waterfall displays.
Lakewood is only one of over 170 megachurches in Texas – the state with the most megachurches in the U.S. There are 56 megachurches in Houston and Dallas alone.
In terms of affiliation, the greatest number of megachurches is non-denominational or Southern Baptist, followed by the Assemblies of God, the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and the United Methodist Church.
According to researchers at the Hartford Institute, these figures represent preliminary data, and “much more will be known with certainty as the questionnaires come in.”
Pauline J. Chang pauline@christianpost.com
I found that line hilarious. I pictured Basil and Chauncey in their pith helmets and butterfly nets seeking out the elusive MegaChurch in its native habitat.
Texas,....a 'model' of heaven?
/sarcasm?
mega-pastor
Joel Olsteen
I don't know. He doesn't look that big on the TV.
They all drive mega-cars to mega-parking lots and wear mega-Sunday clothes, sit in mega-pews singing mega-hymns from mega-hymnals and say mega-prayers and read from mega-Bibles. We've found Nephilim.
Texas,....a 'model' of heaven?
______________________________
I hope your standing with your hat off when you said that... ;^)
As the man makes his way across the country he see the same sign. From one part of the country to the next, North to South to East to West you can call Heaven for $1,000 a minute. It's the same price in every state.
Finally, an after a very long journey the man visits the last state on his list, Texas. He stops at the first church and see a phone in the back of the church. But the sign says "Call Heaven, $.10 a minute". He figures this must be a mistake. So he finds the preacher and says "in every other state the cost of a call to Heaven is $1,000 a minute! How is it that you can only charge ten cents a minute in Texas!?"
The preacher looks at the man and smiles. Then he says to the man "My son, the answer to your question is simple! Here in Texas it's a local call!"
LOL! It's so true!
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWW
The Blessing of the LORD DOES maketh rich...........and He adds no sorrow to it! YES!!!!!
The "mega church" is hardly anything new. Look at all of those huge cathedrals and other churches in Europe that can hold hundreds. There was a reason for that.
The "mega church" is hardly anything new.
More than 2,000 a week? There's probably a fair number of Catholic parishes in the US that get that number. I guess there's no need for them to gather 16,000 at a time like Osteen's church, you're gonna hear the same Scripture readings at every parish on Sunday.
The question I have regarding megachurches is not how many they get for Sunday services, but how many are present on the church grounds more than twice a week. A megachurch can offer a much wider variety of ministries and spiritual opportunites than an ordinary church. Megachurches have schools (including middle and high schools), bookstores, active youth programs, young adult ministries, a wide variety of music and art opportunities, support ministries, etc. etc. It's truly amazing how these places function.
The average Catholic parish in my diocese has around 1750 weekly attendees. Probably 30% of our parishes (that would be around 70) would qualify for mega-Church status, including my own. I guess having 7 masses on weekends helps.
Nationwide, the typical Catholic parish has around 1,000 attendees. If we assume just 15% are above 2,000, that is still nearly 3,000 Catholic mega-parishes.
What you describe sounds like a typical large Catholic Parish. K-8 attached school, youth and adult programs, multiple daily Masses, bookstore/gift shops, etc., etc.
Many larger parishes can seat over 1000, and might have 5, 6, 7, 8+ masses per weekend.
You forgot the gym, restaurants, Starbucks, game rooms, swimming pools, athletic fields, elderly centers, theaters, etc...
It seems many mega churches have created Christian safe havens where they do not have to be either "in" nor "of" the world.
Many Catholic churches in my area qualify as "mega-churches". One such church has "Catholic Community" rather than "Catholic Church" on its sign.
True. One can immerse himself completely in some mega-churches. However that could happen with any church, regardless of size. Many small churches consist of a closely knit group of people that spend all their time with each other. To them "going out into the world" means having a craft booth at the town fair.
What mega-churches end up doing is presenting the church campus as a community center rather than simply a place to attend weekly religious services. It's almost a refuge from an increasingly anti-Christian culture.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.